HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Lowell Barron has served as a state senator for 28 years. And according to him, there's still more work to be done.

"Every day I live, I do things for people," said the 68-year-old Barron, "and it gives me a great feeling of accomplishment that I'm giving back because the good Lord has blessed me abundantly."

Barron, D-Fyffe, is seeking an eighth term as a state senator in the District 8 race with Shadrack McGill, R-Woodville.

Through his time in the Legislature, Barron has emerged as one of the state's most formidable political figures. A former president pro tem of the Senate, Barron is chair of the powerful rules committee that sets the legislative agenda.

And in the last session, Barron pushed a bill through the Statehouse and onto the ballot as a constitutional amendment that provides $1 billion for Alabama roads over the next 10 years.

"There are many things that still can be done," Barron said. "With my seniority and the position the voters have allowed me to attain by having kept me there, I'm able to do things like pass the billion-dollar road package and earmark tens of millions of dollars for my area and many other things like that.

"I feel like (U.S. Senator) Richard Shelby (who remains a prominent voice in Washington at age 76). I'm being effective," Barron said. "I've got many more productive, good years that I want to serve the people of this area and this state."

If approved by voters, the road bill will provide $20 million for Huntsville to handle the expected growth because of BRAC. That money is in addition to the funds that will be available to all counties and cities, Barron said.

The money comes from the Alabama Oil and Gas Trust Fund. It calls for $100 million to be withdrawn annually for 10 years.

Barron also said the road bill will provide 30,000 jobs, citing estimates from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Critics, including McGill, have questioned how the bill would provide 30,000 jobs.

"Statistics prove that investing that infrastructure in Alabama that we will get more return on money than if we leave it in the stock market," Barron said.